Car-coupling



(No Model.)

RVAUGHAN.

` ,GAR GQUPLING.

No. 500,981. Patented July l1.18.93,

G 1 'ff-2l A TTOHN YS.

.Tatras Nrrnn ATENT nnen.

CAR-COUpPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 500,981, dated Jul-y 4,1893.

Application led March 21, 1893.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK VAUGHAN, of Elizabeth City, in the county ofPasquotank and State of North Carolina., have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Car-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in car couplings and has for anobject toprovide a sim ple convenient form of coupling which can be cheaply made,will automatically couple and may be conveniently uncoupled; and theinvention consists in the special constructions and combinations ofparts hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a side view of my improvement. Fig. 2 is anend view thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail view partly broken away and Fig. 4.is a detail perspective view.

The car frame may be the usual construction.

The improvements include the draw heads A and the ball supports orholders B, the former being connected to yield under the meeting impactof the cars and the latter B being arranged above and in alignment withthe drawhead, and are formed to extend at their outer extremities to orslightly beyond the ends of their respective drawheads as shown. In thedrawheads are formed the mortises A to receive the balls such mortisesbeing open at the top to permit the ball to drop therein and providedwith apertures a leading to the front of the drawhead for the passage ofthe chains or other connections. These mortises A incline downwardtoward their front ends and in order to ease the shock and to take up ina measure the slack ofthe connecting chains I provide the yieldingplates C supported in the mortises and aran ged to form sprin g seatsfor the balls. These plates C are preferably fixed at their upper endsat C to the drawhead and free at their lower ends so that they willyield under stress.

The ball holder B has a pivoted arm or portion B pivoted at b and springactuated nor-` mally to the upright position shown by the spring B2. Atits outer end the part B is provided with a ball receiver D which is inthe nature of a cup provided centrally with apin d and pivoted at d tooscillate from the position in which it retains the ball to that fromSerial No. 467.093. (No model.)

which it will release the ball and being actuated by the spring Dnormally to the former position. In the use of the improvement the armor portion B is turned down to horizontal position and the receiver D isconnected by a chain E with the movable drawhead A. This chain E may bepermanently fastened to either the parts A or D and be hooked intoengagement with the other as will readily appear. The coupling deviceincludes two balls F F connected by a chain F as shown or it may be by arod but a chain is preferred. In the balls F are formed openings f toreceive the pins d.

The operation will be readily understood from the drawings. The arm B isturned down to horizontal position and a ball is placed in its receiver,the other ball being dropped in the drawhead below and the chain E beingadjusted to connect the receiver and drawhead. It will be seen that theweight of the ball and chain F will be sufficient to hold the arm B downagainst the action of its spring B2. When the drawheads meet and areretracted the ball receiver will be tilted to drop the ball into theapproaching drawhead and complete the coupling.

The cars may be uncoupled by lifting the ball out of the drawhead andthe construction shown may be found desirable for such purpose. Thisconsists of a wheel or drum G mounted in bearings upon the top of thecar and having handles or spokes G by which it may be turned and aratchet G2 engaged by a detent pawl G3 and having a cord g3 extending tothe ground so that it can be released, a rope or chain H being arrangedto connect the drum G and the ball as shown.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a car coupling a coupling device comprising a pair of connectedballs one of which is provided with an opening to receive a pin in asupport or receiver substantially as set forth.

2. In a car coupling an oscillating ball holder arranged normally tosupport the ball and to be tilted to position to discharge the samesubstantially as set forth.

3. In acar coupling a ball holder consisting IOO of an oscillatingreceiver having a projecting pin to enter an opening in the ballsubstantially as set forth.

4. In a car coupling the combination of the drawhead supported to yieldlongitudinally, and the ball Support arranged above the drawheadsubstantially as set forth.

5. In a car coupling the combination of the drawhead and the ballsupport arranged above it and having a pivoted outer arm or portionsubstantially as set forth.

6. In a car coupling a ball support provided with an oscillating ballreceiver substantially as set forth.

7. In a car coupling the ball support having a pivoted outer arm orportion and provided at the extremity thereof with an oscillating ballreceiver substantially as set forth.

8. The combination in a car coupling of the drawhead movablelongitudinally the ball support having an oscillating ball receiver anda connection between said receiver and the drawhead whereby the movementof the drawhead may oscillate the receiver substantially as set forth.

9. In a car coupling, the combination of the wheel or drum havinghandles and mounted to turn, and provided with a ratchet Wheel, the pawlengaging said ratchet, the cord connected with said pawl the couplingball and a rope or connection between said ball and the drumsubstantially as set fort-h.

10. In a car coupling substantially as described the drawhead having theopen top mortise and the aperture leading to the point and provided withthe spring plates forming a yielding bearing for the coupling ballsubstantially as set forth.

l1. The improved car coupling herein described consisting of thedrawhead, the ball support arranged above the drawhead and having thepivoted spring actuated arm or portion B', the oscillating springactuated ball receiver having a projecting pin, the connection betweensaid receiver and the drawhead `and the ball having an opening to litsaid pin substantially as set forth.

FRANK VAUGHAN. Witnesses.

M. B. CULPEPPER, J. B. GVERMAN;

